1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for sending data to an output apparatus, such as a printer, which is connected through a bidirectional interface, and an output apparatus for receiving data from an information processing apparatus, such as a host computer, which is connected through a bidirectional interface, and performing output processing.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, a recording apparatus or a recording system capable of executing processing of the above sort is constructed by a host computer and a printer which is connected to the host computer through an interface (e.g., a Centronics interface). The recording apparatus or the recording system analyzes output information supplied from the host computer and develops bit-map data as output data of, e.g., a laser beam printer. The apparatus or the system then scan-exposes a photosensitive drum with a laser beam modulated on the basis of this developed data, thereby performing image recording.
In the case of a printer with an emulation function, a plurality of printer control language systems can be processed; the printer can execute printing while switching between an emulation mode and a native mode in accordance with applications that a user executes. The printer of this type has switches for switching the printer control languages and card slots for giving switching designation.
In addition, as the printing control functions of a printer have been increased in number in recent years, operations of an operation panel of a printer main body have become complicated. Therefore, a so-called xe2x80x9csetup utilityxe2x80x9d by which a host computer performs various settings of a printer connected to the host computer generally has set items appearing in the form of a menu on a display.
Such a xe2x80x9csetup utilityxe2x80x9d allows a host computer to perform operations which are usually performed from an operation panel of a printer. In many cases, however, the host computer performs operations for selecting items one-sidedly for the printer, so the status of the printer is not reflected on the display in real time. In addition, a real-time display of a paper feed condition of the printer is often performed on only the panel of the printer main body.
Furthermore, if some error occurs in a printer located apart from a host computer, an operator operating the host computer moves to the installation location of the printer to perform a recovery operation for that error, checking an error code displaying on a display panel of a printer operating unit while referring to a manual, and executing a necessary error recovery operation.
As described above, when the environment of a printer system is constructed by a host computer and a printer connected to the host computer through a predetermined interface, an operator cannot visually understand the settings, status, and error recovery of the printer. This results in very poor operability due to heavy loads of a printer environment setting operation and an error recovery operation on the operator.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an information processing apparatus and an output apparatus, in which the setting statuses of a printer connected and a virtually displayed printer are monitored and set to correspond to each other, operation designation for the printer can be realized by operation designation on the virtual printer by simulating the printing status and the printer panel display status of the printer on the virtual printer, and the status of a printing sequence of the printer can be visually checked on the virtual printer.
In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising acquiring means for acquiring information from a printer connected through a bidirectional interface, and control means for controlling a display status of a virtual printer, which is displayed on a display screen and represents the printer, on the basis of the information acquired by the acquiring means.
In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided an output apparatus comprising setting means for setting an operating environment, and changing means for changing operating environment information set by the setting means on the basis of information acquired from an information processing apparatus connected through a bidirectional interface.
As described above, the operating environmental status information of a printer connected to a host computer via a bidirectional interface is acquired, and the simulated operation display status of a virtual printer displayed on the display screen of the host computer is controlled on the basis of the acquired operating environmental status information. In addition, designation information for the virtual printer is acquired from the host computer, and the operating environmental status of the printer is set to correspond to that of the virtual printer on the basis of the acquired designation information. Therefore, the connected printer can be displayed as a visual cubic image on the screen of the host computer by means of the virtual printer. It is also possible to display the status and settings of the printer on the virtual printer and reflect the settings of the virtual printer on the connected printer.
Furthermore, the panel setting status information of a printer connected to a host computer through a bidirectional interface is acquired, and the simulated operation display status of a virtual panel displayed on the display screen of the host computer is controlled on the basis of the acquired panel setting status information. The designation information for the virtual panel is also acquired from the host computer, and the panel setting status of the printer is set to correspond to that of the virtual panel on the basis of the acquired designation information. This makes it possible to display the panel status and settings of the printer on the virtual panel and reflect the settings of the virtual panel on the panel of the printer.
A user, therefore, can activate the panel simulation or the setup utility of the printer by a simple operation of designating a desired portion of the printer virtually displayed on the screen of the host computer. This enables the user to confirm the printer status and perform environmental setting of the printer without making any mistakes while visually monitoring the printer virtually displayed on the host computer.